Port of Tucson awarded TIGER 2013 grant

The Port of Tucson, Arizona’s active Inland Port, was notified on Saturday, August 31st that it had been awarded a grant of $5,000,000 as part of the Federal Department of Transportation’s TIGER 2013 program. Congressman Ron Barber, who had provided support for the grant application, called Alan Levin on Saturday to give the good news.

The grant, which was Sponsored by Pima County, is for infrastructure improvements to provide higher speed access between the Union Pacific mainline and the Port of Tucson’s International Intermodal yard. With these improvements, the Port of Tucson’s ability to provide the region with access to international trade via ocean containers will be improved.

This international service, which was approved earlier in 2013, allows for international containers to be shipped by rail to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. By shipping these containers by rail instead of truck, as they currently are, freight costs are significantly reduced to Asia and other global destinations. This reduced cost allows businesses to be more competitive in the global marketplace.